Ohtani (elbow) hopes to begin throwing off a mound by early September, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.

Ohtani's current throwing program as he comes back from right UCL surgery has him playing catch from 150 feet three days per week at 85 percent intensity. He will progress to four days per week and then five before being cleared to throw off the mound. As long as all of those stages go off without a hitch, the hope is Ohtani will be able to face hitters either via live batting practice or a simulated game by October. He would then be shut down for a while before eventually ramping things back up in the offseason. Ohtani is aiming to be a two-way player again in 2025.

Blackmon is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Mets.

Blackmon will take a seat along with fellow left-handed hitters Ryan McMahon and Jake Cave as the Mets send southpaw David Peterson to the hill. Kris Bryant will get a day off from the outfield and will replace Blackmon as the Rockies' designated hitter.

McCutchen is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the Padres, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

McCutchen went deep in the Pirates' extra-inning loss to the Padres on Wednesday, but he'll take a seat for Thursday's matinee. Bryan Reynolds will get a start at the designated hitter spot while Bryan De La Cruz, Michael Taylor and Ji Hwan Bae patrol the outfield.

Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

The Giants are sending a lefty (Kyle Harrison) to the hill for the second day in a row, so the lefty-hitting Blankenhorn will once again head to the bench. Platoon mate Harold Ramirez will get another turn as the Nationals' designated hitter and will slot sixth in the batting order.

Schwarber went 4-for-4 with three home runs, one double, one walk, seven RBI and three runs in Wednesday's 9-4 win over the Dodgers.

Schwarber took Gavin Stone deep for a leadoff shot to open the contest before adding a two-run double in the fifth to bring the Phillies back within one run. But the slugger wasn't done yet, launching two more home runs in his final two at-bats to put the finishing touches on Philadelphia's win. Schwarber has five home runs through six games in August, already matching his total for July. He's also hit safely in seven straight contests, tallying three multi-hit performances over that stretch.

McCutchen went 2-for-5 with a home run, a walk and three RBI in an extra-inning loss to San Diego on Wednesday.

McCutchen tallied all of his RBI in the middle innings, swatting a solo homer in the fourth frame and adding a two-run single in the sixth. The long ball snapped a 13-game homerless stretch for the veteran outfielder, though he's nonetheless managed to already top last year's home-run total with 14 through 419 plate appearances. McCutchen went deep just 12 times over 473 plate appearances in his return to Pittsburgh last season.

Blankenhorn is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Giants.

With a lefty (Blake Snell) on the bump for the Giants, the lefty-hitting Blankenhorn will move to the bench after starting in each of the Nationals' previous six games. Harold Ramirez will take over as the Nationals' designated hitter.

Martinez isn't in the Mets' lineup for Wednesday's game against the Rockies.

After going 0-for-10 with five strikeouts over his last three games, Martinez will take a seat Wednesday while Jesse Winker serves as New York's DH and Ben Gamel starts in right field.

Schwarber went 2-for-5 with a solo homer, two RBI and a steal in Tuesday's win over the Dodgers.

Schwarber singled home the game's first run in the fifth and then followed that up with a solo home run in the ninth to pad the Phillies' lead. He now has a homer in two of his last three games and has notched at least a base hit in six straight. In nine starts since July 27, Schwarber is slashing .378/.531/.865 with five homers, nine RBI and 10 runs scored. He's currently on pace to set career-best marks in hits, runs and on-base percentage. For the year, Schwarber is slashing .253/.384/.473 with 24 homers, 66 RBI, 76 runs, five steals and an 81:131 BB:K in 474 plate appearances.

Blackmon (head) is batting leadoff as the designated hitter Tuesday against the Mets.

The 38-year-old sat out Saturday and Sunday after being hit in the head by a throw during Friday's contest, but he'll return to action for Tuesday's series opener versus New York. Blackmon has a .225/.340/.300 slash line with a 7:12 BB:K in 11 games since the All-Star break.